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Sofitel London Heathrow (Terminal 5)

Florian Buechting Hotels & Accommodation No Comments

Sofitel London Heathrow

Sofitel London Heathrow
4.8

Rating

 4.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Direct covered connection to Terminal 5
  • Large, convenient rooms
  • Great service

It is hard to argue against that the Sofitel London Heathrow is the most convenient option when you need a night at London Heathrow (LHR) Terminal 5. The Accor hotel is the only place which is directly linked to the terminal building. However, it is a Sofitel – and that also suggest it is quite a luxurious – and thus pricey – stay. Is it worth it? I had to stays there, one in November 2021 and one in January 2023, on which this review is based.

 

Sofitel London Heathrow – Location & Access

The Sofitel is located West of Terminal 5. The access to the hotel is fully covered and almost completely closed from all sites. Only when you head from Departures (which is floor 5) or Arrivals (floor 0) to floor 1 to access the hotel pathway, there is a very short part, which is also the access to the first level of a car park. The directions to the hotel are very well marked throughout the terminal (majorly in arrivals level). In case you arrive by car, you should be aware of really high parking fees. In addition, the hotel is right inside the airport drop-off charge area, which is a 5 GBP fee at the time of writing. When I visited the Sofitel in November 2021, my Uber driver dropped me off right at the gates. From there, it is just a one or two minutes walk.

The airport hotel offers a cafe (which also offers afternoon tea), a restaurant, a bar and even a souvenir store. However, Terminal 5 of course also offers a couple of facilities, which might be valuable to the traveler. For example, there is an M&S Food at Arrivals level and a few other stores which offer food. You also find a few simple restaurants here. In theory, you could also use the facilities of other terminals, as the transfer is free (if you have an Oyster card). However, this may take quite a while to travel and does not add so much value.

 

Sofitel London Heathrow – The Room

In November 2021, I had a prepaid rate for a standard room of 146 GBP per night. In February 2023, I had a non-public rate for three nights, excluding breakfast. The public rate would have been roughly 180 GBP per night. I booked a standard room and have been upgraded to a deluxe one. The numbering of the room is a bit of unusual, by the way. The hotel has six wings, which define the first digit of the room number. I stayed in 5313, which was room 13 in the third floor of Wing 5.

The room was really large and comfortable, not really what you would expect of a terminal hotel at an airport. It featured a lot of space for your luggage, a cozy lounge chair, a large bed and a large work desk. Interestingly, there were British and US-style power outlets in the room – but no Central European ones, despite the hotel emphasizing the French heritage of the brand. The mini bar was filled with two bottles of water, which have been refilled by the housekeeping every day. In addition, my Accor Gold status was not only appreciated by the upgrade, but also by a bar of delicious chocolate, which I highly appreciated.

The bathroom with separate bathtub has been lovely as well. A bit of weird that the shower had two shower heads, but both being fixed, one at the ceiling, one at the wall (they did not run in parallel). The bathroom was clean and really spacious. I always love to have sufficient space for my toiletries – which was absolutely given in the Sofitel London Heathrow.

 

 

November 2019: Views of the Room

Here are some views of the room I had in 2019. Yous ee that the room I had was almost equivalent. I just had a different welcome snack on that day and the Sofitel feels to have changed from small plastic portions of amenities to fixed dispensers, which is definitely a good move.

 

Sofitel London Heathrow – Breakfast & Food

I just had food for one morning, which was charged with 20 GBP and has been served in the Vivre restaurant. The buffet was actually quite nice. Especially in regards of the healthy options (which I felt were a bit hidden) and the “gallery” of different juices, I really loved my start of the day. Ordering an omelette at the live cooking took me a while as the chef was very intensively involved with his mobile phone – but actually, this guy is quite an iconic fella and I just could not feel too bad towards him.

 

Sofitel London Heathrow – Services

The staff was really nice and helpful. The WiFi in the room worked very well as well, which helped me a lot. The hotel also drives a really nice gym on the basement floor. The spa was closed during my stay, though. I already introduced you to the Sixt Car Rental Station, which is located at the end of the pathway from Terminal 5 to the hotel, which might also be a handy service.

 

 

Sofitel London Heathrow – My View

No doubt, the Sofitel is a very relaxed option, especially if you arrive late at Heathrow or have an early morning flight. Especially with the most public transport services from city center arriving at Heathrow not before 5:15 in the morning, this place is a great choice, the rather high rates might even quickly  The room was huge, the service is great and the connection to the Terminal is unbeatable. I love it!

 

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